Bankai in the Love Nest
by LovelyFarron
Summary: Before he could stop himself, the poor man blurted out, "If it's not a big deal then why don't you just throw it off right now and hop in?" What he had meant to say was something along the lines of—"What the hell! Who said you could come in! No! Not again! I can't look at peaches because of the last time this happened!"


Anime/Manga: Bleach

Pairing(s): Ichigo/Rukia, Urahara/Yoruichi

Genre: Romance, Humor

Rating: M

A/N: **Tumblr transplant.** For the lovely Hannah and all you IchiRuki shippers. It's the dawn of the Peach and the Strawberry guys. And butts. *throws in some UraYoru feels for fun* Please excuse typos; I will find and correct them but right now I'm feeling really drained from writing this monster. I haven't written this type of story in ages so I hope it gets a passing grade.

I HAVE MADE A VALIANT EFFORT.

Bankai in the Love Nest

Yoruichi yawned, her mouth opening wide as she entered the front of Urahara's shop. She stretched her arms above her head and let out a moan, the shady shopkeeper's coat that was draped across her shoulders and covering her night wear nearly slipping off as she did so, exposing the light purple belly shirt and matching panties that she so loved. Urarahara's young helpers, Jinta and Ururu, were nowhere to be seen luckily, not that the cat would have minded them seeing her dressed as she was. And if a customer were to suddenly walk in the store—which was highly unlikely seeing as how the main two patrons were currently out of town—she would simply go about her business, perhaps throwing in a flirtatious look or two just for kicks and grins.

"You're up early," a familiar voice said to her from one of the ill lit corners of the room. "You seemed rather rested too." The last sentence was said with a bit of wistfulness, almost as if its owner was depressed to see the Goddess of Flash looking so alert and content.

Yoruichi's ears twitched, yellow eyes instantly seeking out her pray in the shadows. Smiling a bit wickedly, she tilted her head while crossing her arms in front of her chest, looking at her old friend with

"Oh come now, Kisuke," she said a bit smugly. "You're not so good as to keep me down for long. I've always had more stamina than you in just about everything anyway, and _that _is no exception."

Urahara laughed, moving out of the dark corner he had been in, his task of reorganizing merchandise having been completed. "Can't let me get a big head now, can you?" he asked, readjusting his green striped hat. There were dark circles under his eyes and there was a bit of lethargy in his movements, his blonde hair looking more frazzled than normal. There was a satisfied gleam in his tired, bloodshot eyes though and it seemed that he did not mind his current state much; he would sacrifice just about anything for _those _nights.

Yoruichi shook her head, fighting the urge to burst out in laughter at his pathetic state. He was something else, that was for sure. It wouldn't have been too detrimental to business to close down for one day to recover, but no, this was Urahara and while he did come off as lazy, he was responsible when it came to his shop. Mostly.

She watched him as he walked over to her, her eyes narrowing as he approached, which made him pause and look at her in confusion.

"What?"

Her hand reached out and played with a stray strand of his blonde hair. She never did anything affectionate like that and it made him a bit edgy. Sweat began to bead across his forehead and all he could do was wonder he had done—or hadn't done—that had made her mad.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Urahara blinked. "Notice what?"

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Come off it Kisuke. Playing dumb doesn't suit you. Besides…you have never been able to get anything past me."

"Oh?" Urahara asked, raising his own eyebrow in response. "And what am I trying to get past you this time?"

"Tessai. Jinta. Ururu. All of them had business to attend to that would take them out of the shop for days," she said, her eyes never straying from his, hand moving to trace along his jaw. "Giving Ichigo permission to use _our _special training ground under Sokyoku Hill to assist Rukia in Bankai training when they very well could have used the one under the shop…" She grinned deviously. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice that the people most likely to hang around and cut in on our time have all vanished? My only question now is…why are you opening the shop up?"

Urahara grinned sheepishly, caught. He hadn't really expected her to not notice, but he had half-hoped she wouldn't. "Ah, well, you've got me Yoruichi. I sent everyone away so we could have precious alone time. Now if you'll excuse me…" He began to shuffle away from her, "I have some things to attend to…"

Yoruichi frowned, retracting her hand. "You didn't answer my last question, Kisuke. Why are you opening—" She paused mid-sentence, eyes lighting up as it dawned on her. She looked him, half-appalled and half-amused. "You thought I would be too tired and worn out from last night, didn't you? You didn't think I'd be able to handle it, did you?"

It was more of an accusation than a question and the man couldn't help but cringe slightly.

"Err…now let's not jump to conclusions Yoruichi…" he said, laughing a bit nervously. "Now, I've really got to go do that thing I said I had to do that I have to do…" With that, he turned around fled into the interior of the building to hide from the woman he'd infuriated.

"Get back here Kisuke!" Yoruichi yelled, taking off after him. "I'm going to show you a real workout!"

It was at that moment that Urahara wished that Ichigo was under the shop instead of a world away.

/

Perspiration dotted the bodies of the combatants, soaking through their shinigami robes and making the normally loose clothing stick to them like wet Kleenex. Neither one noticed it much though, both too focused on the task at hand.

Blades flashed, white met black, and sparks flew.

"Come on Rukia," Ichigo said, breathing heavily despite his best intentions to keep up an invincible front in front of the Kuchiki. "I know you can do better than this."

"Fool," Rukia retorted. "You're the one who is breathing heavy." In reality, she was too but the Strawberry knew better than to point that out to her. If he did, she'd probably just forgo her sword and end up kicking him in the face.

She was frustrated and while a little banter could help push her towards her goal, too much of it and she would become discouraged. Ichigo knew the right amount needed, what was too much and too little, just as she did for him, and he was able to temper his responses to her mood.

Rukia gave a little, suddenly disappearing from in front of him and reappearing behind him. Using the speed granted to him by his Bankai form, Ichigo swung around just in time to block her.

The two were training, building up Rukia's speed and endurance so when she materialized Sode no Shirayuki she would be able to successfully subjugate her. Urahara had graciously allowed the two to use the private training grounds he had developed for use in the Soul Society, although the Substitute had a feeling that there had been an ulterior motive behind his sudden generosity.

"Who is doing better now?" she asked testily, her arms shaking as she pressed forward with all of her might. A frown creased her forehead and her cheeks were going to redden as she exerted herself. "Come on Ichigo, you're letting me beat you."

Ichigo smiled, glad that her spirit seemed to be holding up. Bankai training was no walk in the park, and while her training hadn't been as rushed and brutal as his, it was still rough. He was more than happy to assist her though and had been secretly thrilled that she'd chosen him to be her training buddy. Of course it had given rise to new rumors—someone having gossiped that the "Strawberry" and the "Peach" were trying to bring about some new fruit—and the two were being teased mercilessly. As usual, Rukia was oblivious to it, simply wondering how two items of food had suddenly gained sentience and had decided to come together in some sort of union.

He supposed that they were in some ways right; the Strawberry and the Peach—and he shuddered at the thought of the horrid nicknames—were indeed trying to bring about some new fruit, the fruit of a Bankai. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be and what new abilities she would gain; she was powerful as it was with her shikai, just how more powerful would she become with her Bankai?

In truth, it worried him a little, the thought of his Chappy-loving nakama achieving such a feat. It would qualify her for Captainhood, and while she was more than capable of taking care of herself—he knew that perhaps better than anyone—a part of him would always be concerned for her safety. He was a protector, a guardian. It was a part of himself that he couldn't chase away and while his overprotectiveness might surface from time to time, she would still accept it, gently reminding him that she was a big girl and that it was he that needed her to save him.

Regardless of who saved who, he was glad to be with her now, in this place. It was rare that the two got so much alone time, even if they were getting harassed for it.

_Strawberry and Peach…_

Without his permission, his thoughts slide back to the day he tried not to remember, a day where he had glimpsed a look at a certain someone's naked butt.

He bit his lip, frustrated as he could not help but become a bit aroused at the memory, despite his current predicament. A part of his mind chalked his sudden growing frustration up to some strange kink—apparently heat, heavy breathing, bandages, and pointy things made him think of certain other things. That, or it was the word _peach._

_I swear to God I am going to kill Tenjiro for that._

Perhaps it was unfair of him to do so, but now he couldn't even look at peaches without picturing a certain someone's rump. Whenever he was approached with one he would instantly turn red and retreat to his room to hide certain parts of his anatomy from the world. Of all the things to turn him on, it had to be some fruit, a fruit that happened to be remarkably similar in shape and color to Rukia Kuchiki's-

"You're letting up."

With a snap, Ichigo's thoughts came back to the present. Looking down, he noticed that his feet had slid back a few inches, dark treads being left on the dirt. It was then that he became acutely aware of the ache in his shoulders and the strain in his back. Looking back up, he blinked in surprise as he saw that Rukia's face was almost completely red.

"Whoa! Rukia, you're—"

"Don't say it," she snapped. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past three minutes! What the hell have you been thinking about?!"

Ichigo would have shrugged if not for the fact that it would have resulted in his sword shifting, thereby allowing Rukia's to stab him in the chest.

"Wanna call it quits for now?" he asked, voice strained, avoiding her question completely.

"Only if you can't take it anymore," Rukia wheezed, not noticing he'd dodged her bullet.

"Me? I could go at this all night," he gasped back, eye twitching as he began to regain his lost footing. "How about you?"

"Hmph. You're on."

All risqué thoughts were chased from his mind as their swords clashed once again.

/

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Ichigo yelped, hands instantly shooting to shield his private area despite the fact that it could not be clearly seen through the water. Craning his neck backwards, his orange brows furrowed together as he started to protest her unfair assumption of his intelligence, only for his mouth to freeze half-open as his brown eyes took her in.

Rukia blushed a bit and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She tightened the arm that was supporting the towel wrapped around her small chest, eyes flashing.

"What? You look like you've just swallowed one of the petals from my brother's blade."

"Ah…." Ichigo looked at her dumbly, unable to come up with anything to say as the blood rushed from one head to another.

Puffing her cheeks up, the Kuchiki pursed her lips in irritation. "Don't look at me like that you fool. I'm just in a towel. No big deal. Now close your eyes while I take it off and get in."

Before he could stop himself, the poor man blurted out, "If it's not a big deal then why don't you just throw it off right now and hop in?" What he had meant to say was something along the lines of—"What the hell?! Who said you could come in?! No! Not again! I can't look at peaches because of the last time this happened!"—but as it was, his brain was not functioning and the side of his personality that was driven by basic human instinct had begun to take over.

Rukia's mouth dropped open and her eyes went big, Ichigo's following suit.

_Oh my god. What the hell did I just say?!_

The two stared at each other for a minute, both mortified and confused at his words as emotions and chemicals they didn't know how to deal with pulsed through their sore, aching bodies.

Rukia, as usual, was the first to come out of the numb state.

"Fine," she said hotly. "Watch for all I care. I'm sore and I'm coming in."

Ichigo watched, heart racing and mind panicking, as the small woman dropped her towel and quickly slide in, his eyes barely having enough time to take in her naked form. He had seen her without clothing on before in the hot springs in the realm of the Spirit King, but this was different. For one, she was conscious. Another thing, she was _coming towards him._

Letting out a cry of shock, Ichigo tried to back up, but found that he was already pressed firmly against the rock that lined the lip of the spring.

"What are you doing?" he asked, swallowing hard.

_Me and my big mouth._

Rukia narrowed her coal black eyes at him. "Proving to you that this is 'not a big deal' Mr. I-Can't-Stand-To-See-A-Naked-Girl." She sniffed a bit haughtily. "Honestly, Ichigo. This is no big deal. It's just…me…and you." Her last few sentences came out hesitantly, almost like she was unsure herself whether it was a big deal or not. She pushed the fact that her heart was racing to the back of her mind and shook her head, clearing her mind.

Ichigo scowled, catching the insecurity in her tone, but also unwilling to back down. He had gotten himself into this mess after all, with his lack of mouth control, and now she was going to make him eat his words. Or so she thoughts.

The young man straightened his back and did his best to plaster on a disinterested face.

"Yeah. It's no big deal. Just you. And me. Alone. In a magical hot spring. In a secret, underground training room. That only three other people know about. No big deal."

Sweat dribbled down his face and his heart hammered away in his chest as Rukia was nearly on top of him now. He fought the urge to cover his growing arousal and determinedly kept his eyes glued to her face as her small, perky breasts rose out of the water as she straightened her own posture. His eyes went wide and he bit his lip as a moan threatened to escape from his vocal cords, the skin of her leg brushing against his own. Fortunately, he could attribute the sudden spike in color on his cheeks to the temperature of the water.

"Still comfortable?" Rukia asked, her own face flushed, chest rising and falling more rapidly with every passing second.

"Completely," Ichigo replied.

One of his calloused hands rose out from the water and found its way to the small of her back, sliding up and down it in a soothing motion as she stopped moving, her legs now on either side of his body, knees resting on the rocky shelf he sat on.

"You?" he asked smartly, determined to not let her get the best of him.

"Completely," she said, mimicking his earlier response as she let her legs touch the sides of his thighs, pressing them tightly together. She bent forward, arms coming out of the water to splay across his chest, her mouth inches from his. "Still comfortable?" she asked, voice low.

"Completely," he said, his eyelids growing heavy as he stared into her eyes.

Time seemed to stop then, the serenity and absurdity of the moment taking over. Everything suddenly made perfect sense; everything suddenly made no sense at all. It was almost as if everything that they had gone through, every trial they had faced, every loss they had mourned, had all led up to this point in time. It was as if some spell had been cast over them, all other needs and burdens suddenly cast from their minds as thoughts of each other filled their minds and the need, the want, the burning desire to become more than they already were, to truly become one in body, mind, and soul took precedence over all else.

The peculiar smell of the springs could not hide the scent of Rukia's strawberry shampoo and Ichigo found himself inhaling it deeply, never knowing that something could smell so heavenly. Rukia too found herself inhaling his cool breeze scented cologne—she often wondered how the company had managed to capture the scent of a breeze—and found it to be the most intoxicating thing she had ever smelled in her life. Under normal conditions the two wouldn't be thinking such things about the other, and they would certainly laugh at themselves for this ridiculous behavior later, but it didn't matter to them at that moment.

Neither one would be able to recall later who made the first move, but before either knew what was going on, their mouths were locked together in an openmouthed kiss. Their tongues did not meet and it was awkward and strange, as neither one had kissed like this before, and it ended shortly after it had begun but neither one cared, too caught up in the heat and passion of the moment.

Ichigo's other hand came up to where the other one rested on her back and pushed her down so she was sitting on his lap instead of keeling before him. Her nether region brushed against his erect member and both moaned, his hands digging sharply into her back, keeping her pressed there against him. His eyes closed as pleasure shot through his tired body, head leaning back as Rukia rested her head under his chin on his muscled and scarred chest. Her own hands had crept back under the water and were tracing lazy circles near the base of his spine.

After a minute—hell, maybe it had been an hour for all he knew—had passed, his eyes slipped open and Rukia pulled back a little, brown meeting black.

"Still comfortable?" she asked, smiling devilishly.

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "You?"

Her smile widened. "Not quite yet…"

/

Renji's stomach twisted uncomfortably. Making a face, the tattooed man bent over, resisting the urge to vomit.

"Whoa there Abarai," Rangiku, looking at him over her sake cup. "You need to slow down on the drinks tough guy."

The redhead shook his head, eyebrows drawing together. "It's not that, I just get the feeling that I should be somewhere…" He let out a long breath, frustrated. "Dammit."

"Would that somewhere be with Ichigo and Kuchiki?" the busty woman questioned, downing the rest of her drink.

Renji nodded, still frowning as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Rukia told me where they were training and I thought that I would go and make sure that idiot isn't being an idiot but I seem to have forgotten where the entrance is." He shrugged. "Oh well. It's not like they're doing anything bad. Right, Rangiku?" He looked to her hopefully, waiting for her to reassure him.

The blonde looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me? Surely you've heard the Strawberry and Peach rumors."

He tilted his head, confused. "The what now?"

Sighing, Rangiku sat up in her seat. This was not going to be pleasant, for if the rumors were true…

"Oh boy. Well, you see…it all started that one time the Zero Division took you guys to the Spirit King's palace…"


End file.
